The Black Cat and His Bloody Princess
by Happy Happy Punk
Summary: AU. An extensive look at what Train and Eve's relationship would be like if Sven and Saya never met them, and it was Eve on the rooftop that night. TrainxEve
1. Slip

**A/N: I'd like to start this off by saying I adore Sven and Saya, but this idea was just too tempting to pass up. I feel like, in the manga, Sven and Saya heal the big wounds Eve and Train are inflicted with, and they only get to clean up each other's small cuts that are left behind. So I thought, "What if they saved each other, somehow? Wouldn't that be cool?"**

**I'm not sure how long this will last – I've never really been very good at sticking to lengthy stories. This is a big jump for me, and we'll just have to see how it goes.**

**Now, without further ado, onwards, into **_**The **__**Black Cat and His Bloody Princess**_**!**

**Chapter 1**

**~Slip~**

Train had never seen an angel before.

The only people he had met since his parents' death were ruthless assassins like himself or the worthless, corrupted trash he was sent to clean up. It was very unusual for him to come in contact with someone who still had an innocent look in their eyes or a naïve nature.

So when he climbed up onto his roof, milk in hand, he was shocked to discover a small girl instead of a stray cat sitting in his favorite spot. She was sitting on the very edge of the roof, hugging her folded legs to her chest and resting her chin on her knees. Long blonde hair cascaded down her back, pink eyes staring at the moon with confusion, as if she couldn't figure out why it was in the sky. In the starlight, she almost…glowed.

_Angel_, Train thought as he silently sat down as far as he could from her. _She looks like an angel._

Antisocial as he was, he decided not to bother her. He popped the lid on his milk bottle, pouring it into the bowl beside him, trying to stay quiet so the girl wouldn't be alerted to his presence. A small black cat hurried towards him, mewing as it lapped up the pearly white liquid.  
Soft footsteps approached him, and Train was surprised to find the angelic girl suddenly standing beside him. She was looking at the tiny cat with intrigued eyes.

"Is that…a cat?" she asked. Her voice sounded strangely empty, but curious at the same time. As if she was filled with emotion but didn't know how to express it.

Train just stared at her for a moment, not used to talking to normal civilians. Of course, a child that talked to strangers on rooftops during the ungodly hours when night turned to morning couldn't be _completely _normal.

She wasn't bothered by his lack of response. Bending down, she cautiously reached a hand out towards the feline, looking absolutely amazed. The cat took one look at her and ran away, obviously a very skittish animal, as strays tended to be.

Train expected her to be hurt, but she just stared after the creature, eyes filled with fascination and wonder. "I have…never seen a cat before…"

Against his better judgment, Train found himself replying. "You haven't?" he asked. His voice sounded gruff. He wasn't used to talking, especially to children.

"I have not," she affirmed. She sat down beside him, staring at the bottle in his hand, still half-full of milk. "What is…that?" she questioned, pointing to the drink.

_Well, she's just full of curiosity_, Train thought with slight amusement. He raised the bottle to her eyelevel, swinging it back and forth. The girl's eyes remained transfixed on the sloshing liquid, as if mesmerized. "Milk," he answered.

She still looked a little puzzled. "What does it do?"

Tilting his head, Train studied her with a confused expression. She had never seen a cat before? Didn't know what milk was? What was wrong with this kid?

"You drink it," he finally answered.

"Like water. Or wine," she mused.

"You know about wine? But not milk?" Train couldn't help but wonder why he was talking so much. Usually he never said more than a few words to someone. Why hadn't he brushed this girl off yet? _Too interesting, I guess_, he decided.

"Father* drinks wine a lot."

"Your father, huh?"

"…Yes…"

Silence stretched over them before she eventually stood up, staring off into the distant starry sky. She seemed to be contemplating something.

"I must go," she finally told him. "Before they realize I am gone. Father has his servants check on me at midnight."

"Midnight curfew. Like Cinderella," Train replied. He was trying to test her, see just how sheltered this girl was. Every little girl in the world knew about Cinderella. If she didn't, it meant something was seriously wrong. Not that it really mattered to him, but he had to admit his interest was raised.

"Who is Cinderella?"

Yep, something was _definitely _off. "She's a fairytale princess."

"What are fairytales? ...You think I'm a princess?"

"Sure, _Little Princess_," he replied sarcastically. The _princess _frowned. At least she knew when she was being mocked.

"I am going," she said, looking insulted. She turned away from him abruptly, taking a step towards the edge of the roof…

…her foot slipped, a shocked expression dominating her features as she fell, her back hitting the rough shingles. Still too stunned to react, she started to tumble like a ragdoll towards the edge of the roof.

Train's heart skipped a beat, his soft spot for children taking control. Instinctively, he jumped off the roof, diving towards her. He grabbed her around her shoulders, clenching his teeth as they sped towards the ground together.

_Great, _Train thought bitterly, _I've got her, but how does that help either of us? It's not like I can fly!_

Suddenly, Train found himself staring at the girl's long golden tresses in amazement as her hair started to…transform?

Her hair formed something like a parachute, slowing their descent. She landed gracefully on the ground, Train still holding her by her shoulders. But then she wobbled and fell, bringing him down with her. Apparently, she was still a little dizzy from the fall.

Lying on the hard street, Train gaped at the small girl in his arms. She looked a little shaken herself.

"What _are _you?" Train whispered.

She ignored him. "You…smell like blood…," she said, her eyes unfocused. "I smell blood all over you hands…"

The town's clock stroke twelve, loud chimes informing the citizens of the late hour. The girl's eyes sharpened and she squirmed in Train's arms, trying to escape. "I must go, before Father realizes I am missing," she said, almost desperately, struggling in his grasp. Train barely noticed.

"What _are _you?" he repeated. She stopped fighting for a moment, her eyes turning dead and apathetic.

"I am…the demon," she responded, emotionless. And then she was out of his arms, leaving him lying on the cold street as she ran away from him.

-

-

-

* So, I'm not exactly sure what Eve calls Torneo at first, but I believe she calls him father in the manga once, when she meets her old self in Doctor's warp world. Makes sense, I guess.

**A/N: There you go. The first chapter! Kind of…odd, I think. I dunno. But here it is! I hope you liked it! I promise more TrainxEve will be coming soon! Oh, and I know he talks a lot for Angst!Train, but I think he'd open up more to a calm child than to an energetic woman. I dunno, that's just my opinion.**

**In the next chapter, we'll see Creed, I 'spose. Maybe. Hm.**

**By the way, this is going to contain a mix of events that occurs in both the manga and the anime, but mostly just stuff that comes from my own brain juice. And I can promise you that Train won't be his emo self much longer, 'cuz I suck at writing Angst!Train. It kills me a little inside :'(**

**Please tell me if I should continue this~!**


	2. Think

**A/N: Second chapter, yay! I even managed to get some Eve POV in here. Ah, but it's short. Please tell me what you think!**

**Disclaimer: Oh, and in case you didn't know, I don't own Black Cat. I mean, I can see how you could be confused, 'cuz I support a couple that's painfully NOT CANON (but hinted at often!) and write FANFICTIONS instead of just putting it in the original series.**

**But you know. We all get a little stupid sometimes :)**

**Chapter 2**

**~Think~**

_What a strange person_, Eve thought as she sat in her room.

Luckily, the butler Torneo had sent to check on Eve had gotten distracted by a maid. Eve, coming in half an hour late, had been saved, but…

…The butler had not. Torneo had ordered Eve to kill him.

Eve looked at her hands, folded neatly in her lap. She could almost still see the man's blood, her hands transformed to knives as they were drenched in red. Feel the warm liquid soak her, some of it splattering her cheeks. Hear the butler's screams for mercy. _What is mercy? _she wondered. She wished she could ask the strange man.

But more than anything, she could smell the blood. Just like when she had been with that man. The smell of blood was _all over _him. Like her. He was like her. Only he knew so much. Cats, milk, fairytales…princesses…

_"Midnight curfew. Like Cinderella,"_ his voice rang in her mind. His gold eyes glittered in the moonlight.

_"Sure,_ Little Princes_."_

It was…the first time…she had been called something besides Eve or _the demon. _She just couldn't keep the man from her thoughts. He had even dived off a roof to…save her?

A strange warmth bloomed in her chest, an odd feeling of heat spreading across her cheeks. Eve reached a hand up to touch the side of her face, mystified.

_What a strange person…_

~*TxE*~

"I've come to deliver some bad luck."

A gunshot. Train's target fell to the ground, his fiancé running towards him, shrieking.

"It's Black Cat!" a terrified voice screamed. Panicked cries followed the announcement, guests at the party running towards the exit. Train calmly strolled out. His target was taken care of, another job well done, and he saw no reason to rush back to Chronos. As long as his target was dead, they wouldn't miss him for awhile.

Idly, Train wondered what exactly his target had done to piss off Chronos. He wasn't even sure what the man's name was, just that he was some yakuza thug that got a comfy position as governor.

_"Is that…a cat?"_

Train winced as the strange girl's voice entered his head once again. It had been almost a week since they had met, but her words still filled his thoughts like a constant reminder.

_"I have…never seen a cat before…"_

Train sighed, shaking his head. Pulling Hades out of its holster, he used the edge of his coat to begin cleaning the man's blood off.

_"I smell blood all over your hands…"_

~*TxE*~

"Why, hello Train. Back so soon?"

Train suppressed a shudder as he walked down the halls of Chronos' headquarters, Creed following behind him like a loyal puppy. Train wished the girl's voice would speak to him once more, just to drown out the sound of Creed. But his memory of her remained silent.

"Of course it wouldn't take you long to _eliminate _small fry," Creed continued, his tone filled with bloodlust and admiration. "You _are _the best, after all."

Train hated Chronos' headquarters. It made him feel like he was suffocating.

"Train, you're too _good _for Chronos."

He continued to ignore Creed. His mind was whirling with questions, leaving him as puzzled as he had been the night he met the odd girl on his roof. Who was she? _What_ was she? Would he see her again?

Did he want to?

"I'm starting a revolution, and – Train? Where are you going?"

"To get my next job," he growled. _Where else would I be going?_

"Weren't you listening? I want to start a revolution that will bring Chronos to its knees!"

"Not interested."

"Train, you –"

"Number thirteen," a voice called suddenly, interrupting Creed. Sephiria walked briskly towards the two men, a manila folder in her hand. Creed growled, obviously irked at having his speech interrupted.

"Number one," Creed spat.

Sephiria ignored him. "Your next assignment," she explained, handing Train the manila folder, "is to invade Torneo's mansion and destroy his lab. Our sources say he's used his money to assemble a group of highly capable scientists to experiment with nanotechnology. You're top priority is to eliminate Eve, the bioweapon he's created."*

_Eve, huh? _Train thought as he accepted the folder. He scanned the information on Torneo for a moment before flipping past it, uninterested.

What he saw on the next page made his breath catch in his throat. His eyes widened, his cold composure broken. Creed and Sephiria watched him, bewildered, as he pushed past them and ran towards the door, the folder still clutched tightly in his hand.

Blonde hair and violet eyes. An empty expression. And the words '_**Eve: Bioweapon**_' typed in bold letters, displayed proudly above her picture.

_"I am…the demon..."_

-

-

-

***To tell the truth, I have absolutely, positively **_**no idea at all **_**what a Chronos mission briefing would entail. Seriously. I think it happens once or twice in the anime, but my mind pulls a blank…I guess this is an AU story anyway, so…eh.**

**A/N: WHOOHOO! It's done! I dunno why, but this chapter was hard for me to write and I'm very dissatisfied with it. I guess because this part is more to move things on, so there's not much excitement. I'll try to get chapter three out as soon as I can, but I'm gonna be working on some original short stories for competitions and such. Plus, school has been a big meanie, giving me way more homework than any teenager should have to endure. Bleh XP**


	3. Leave

**A/N: Hello, lovely readers! I would like to thank my reviewers! Not just for this story, but for all of them. You guys ROCK! Thank you for your support!**

**By the way, this is totally random, but... I just spent about five minutes trying to wipe a spot off my screen before I realized it was a / thing ma-doodle that I typed on accident. I feel so smart XD. **

**Also, I recently led one of my friends to the paradise of Black Cat and I showed her my fanfics. Which made me happy, 'cuz I usually don't show people outside the internet my writing. So if you read this, this one's for you, Melissa!**

**Disclaimer: You will never defeat me, lawyer drones! I do not own Black Cat!**

**Chapter 3**

**~Leave~**

Train stood in the dim hallways of Chronos. Eve stood in front of him, her eyes vacant as she stared up at him. Train gazed back, astonished. "What're you doing here?" he asked. She just closed her eyes, as if admitting defeat.

Of its own accord, Train's hand started to move. It reached towards his gun, grasping the weapon and pulling it from its holster, pointing it at Eve. Train struggled against the unseen force. His arm shook with the effort, but Hades remained pointed between Eve's closed eyes. His finger slowly squeezed the trigger.

"Stop!" Train yelled. "No! _Stop, dammit_!"

"You're top priority is to eliminate Eve, the bioweapon he's created," Sephiria said, walking up behind him. Creed followed her, and together they grasped his arm, keeping it straight and pointed towards the small girl before him.

"Of course it wouldn't take you long to _eliminate _small fry," Creed said with a sickening grin as he moved his index finger to cover Train's, applying more force to the trigger. "You _are _the best, after all."

Train's mouth moved, his voice working against his will. "I've come to deliver some bad luck," he told Eve. Her eyes remained shut.

_Bang!_

Train gaped at the bullet in Eve's forehead, horrified. He killed her. He _killed _her. _**He killed her!**_

__Eve finally opened her eyes, her bright pink gaze clashing with his own hard gold. She opened her mouth to say something but collapsed instead, falling onto Train's chest. Leaning heavily on him, she tilted her head up to look at him, blood oozing from her wound.

"I smell blood…I smell blood on your hands…_I smell my blood all over your hands…"_

_**"NO!"**_

__Train sat up in his bed, breathing heavily. His eyes darted around the room, taking in the sight of his rundown apartment, lit up by the soft glow of the moon. _A dream_, he finally concluded, his heart racing. _Just a dream._

Train ran a hand through his hair, sighing. What the _hell _was wrong with him? He had only met the girl once and he was having nightmares about her death. He had never felt such opposition to a mission before.

No, wait.Train _had_ felt it before. Every time he killed a woman or a parent with a child nearby, it stopped him for a spilt second before he pulled the trigger. The reluctance to kill. He knew the feeling well, even though he knew he shouldn't – he was a number, after all. He should be a ruthless, merciless assassin with a black heart. So usually he ignored the pull of his conscience and killed without hesitance.

But this time he just _couldn't. _Getting out of bed, Train walked to his table and picked up Eve's folder, gazing at her picture. He'd only known her for about half an hour, but he couldn't help feeling oddly connected to the girl. She was so _different _from anyone he had ever known.

And yet she was so much like him. A killer.

But Train wasn't stupid. She had been created by this Torneo scumbag, which meant she had also been raised by him. If she didn't know about fairytales or princesses, how could she know about mercy? Letting others live?

Train clenched his hands into fists, enraged. Thirteen years, her file said. _Thirteen years _she had been isolated from the world, taught only how to murder and hate.

Pink eyes sparkling in the moonlight. Long, blonde hair that stirred with the slightest breeze. Innocent questions and a gaze filled with wonder.

He had to kill her. But could he?

~*TxE*~

"Eve! There's an intruder heading your way! Get ready for a game of tag!" the flower speaker on Eve's chest screeched*. Eve simply stood, watching the door absently, preparing for her next prey.

She didn't want this. She didn't want to kill. She couldn't explain why, but it felt _wrong._

She didn't want to murder people, she wanted to try milk. She wanted to drink it and sit on rooftops with cats. She wanted that strange man to tell her fairytales and call her princess, because…_that _was what felt right to her. She had only experienced it fleetingly, one night out of the thirteen years she had lived. But that moment made her feel different, made her feel…happy…?

Was this…happy? Was _she_…happy?

"Eve! He's almost there! Remember, Eve, you're the demon!"

Torneo's words brought her back to reality. No, she couldn't be happy. She was the demon. She was a weapon, brought into the world only to kill. Happiness was irrelevant to her.

Her door burst open, a loud bang echoing in her empty room as it hit the wall. The strange man stood in the doorway, the very same one that sat with her on the rooftop.

Eve froze, shocked. Was he her prey? She didn't want him to be. She really hoped he wasn't.

"That's him, Eve! Kill him _now_!"

Eve's hopes fell. The man walked towards her, his gun in his hand. Was he here to kill her? She didn't want this man to hold any ill intent for her.

He approached her, pausing only a few feet away. He lifted his gun…

…and turned away from her to shoot the security camera on her ceiling.

"Eve? What's happening!? _Eve! Kill that man!_"

He briskly walked the last few steps towards her, closing the distance between them. He reached down and tore the speaker off her chest, throwing it across the room. It hit the wall and shattered.

Silence encompassed them for a few moments as he looked intently at her. Finally, he spoke.

"We're leaving."

**-**

**-**

**-**

***For manga readers, this is a device used by Torneo only in the anime. It's kind of like a walkie-talkie.**

**A/N: I know I said her eyes were violet in the last chapter, but that wasn't a mistake! It was…the picture was, erm…the lighting in the room the picture was taken in was really weird and it made her eyes look violet! Yeah! **

**Whelp, there's chapter three. Hope it was to your liking, dear fanfictionites! My internet's being a total dipshiz, so if you don't hear from me for awhile, that's why. But when it magically turns awesome for a few minutes, getting my fanfics up is top priority, so I might not respond to reviews or PMs for some time.**


	4. Drink

**A/N: I'm a little shocked this took me so long to write. I kinda kept putting it off. *shrug* Dunno why. Maybe because I've never really written a fight scene before? Gosh, they're hard. Takes a lot out of me. Which explains why it's only a few paragraphs long.**

**Also, a huge thanks to all my anonymous reviewers. I can't respond to your reviews, so I'll just express my gratitude here. THANK YOU, PEOPLE! **

**Disclaimer: IT WILL HAPPEN. SOMEDAY, IN A PARRELL UNIVERSE, IT. WILL. HAPPEN! But in this world, I do not own Black Cat.**

**~Drink~**

"Leav…ing?" Eve questioned, puzzled.

Train nodded, reloading Hades quickly. "I'm getting you out of here," he told her, turning away from her. He briskly walked towards the door, placing his hand on the doorknob before realizing that Eve wasn't following him.

He looked over his shoulder at her, his eyes beckoning her to come to him. Eve remained in her chair, staring up at him in confusion.

"Leaving?" she repeated. Train sighed, running a hand through his unruly brown hair.

"You don't know what leaving means?"

"No, I know, but…," she casted a glance around the room, her expression unreadable.

Train frowned, perplexed by her reluctance. Did she actually like it here? No…was it because she had rarely been anywhere else? Didn't know what the outside world contained?

Did she honestly think it could be worse than this place?

Train walked back towards her, reaching for something in his gun holster. Eve cocked her head, curious. He already had his gun in his hand.

Train pulled a small bottle from his holster, the white liquid in it sloshing against the glass container. "Here," he said, handing it to her. "I brought something for you. It's milk. You drink it, remember?"

Eve took it, looking at it in slight awe. She brought it to her lips, ready to try the new drink…

…with the cap on.

Train was shocked when the corners of his lips twitched upward. It was only for a brief second, but he had rarely felt the urge to smile since his parents died. It felt odd, but not altogether unpleasant, and he watched, amused, as Eve glared at the cap in irritation.

When her hand started to glow and transform into a knife, Train decided to help her. "Give it to me," he commanded, taking it from her. He easily removed the lid and handed it back to her, reveling in the look of defeat and amazement on her face as she took it.

Her first taste of milk sent Eve reeling. Torneo never fed her much besides bread and nutrient pills, and all she had ever drunk was water. Milk was completely different from anything she had_ ever_ tasted. She quickly gulped down the rest.

"It's…good," she told Train, clutching the empty bottle close to her, as if it was made of gold.

"You can have more if you come with me," Train replied, walking towards the door. Eve got up and followed him, still looking uncertain, but determined.

Before they could reach the door, however, it burst open, guards filing in. They surrounded Train and Eve completely, guns up and ready to shoot. Torneo followed soon after, glaring.

"Eve, I told you to kill this man!" he yelled, seizing her arm roughly. Eve flinched, pressing herself to Train's side and tightening her hold on the bottle in her hand.

Train spared a glance around the room, sizing up the guards. He could take them, but with Eve in the line of fire, she could easily get hit, and then he would've defied Chronos for absolutely no reason. For his pride's sake, she had to get out of here alive.

"I don't…want to…," Eve told Torneo, her voice shaking. "I don't want to kill him…"

Torneo smirked bitterly. "So you want to sneak out with a stray cat, hm?" he sneered. Train watched, slightly horrified, as Torneo slapped her harshly, painting a red bruise across her cheek. Eve faced the ground, looking guilty, which angered Train. She wasn't the wrong one here, dammit!

"Stop this foolishness _now_, Eve, and kill him. I don't want to damage you."

Eve looked extremely upset but still shook her head, defiant. "No."

Torneo scowled, then smirked. He produced a strange-looking card from his pocket. "We're not done testing it yet, so I didn't want to use it, but if you insist…"

Train reached out to intercept Torneo, but one of the guards shoved a gun into his back, reminding him of the many weapons pointed at him. Unhindered, Torneo placed the card on Eve's chest, laughing maniacally.

Her loud shriek almost burst Train's eardrums. A strange light encompassed her, burning his eyes as he watched her, trying to figure out what was happening. "What'd you do to her!?" he demanded as her body twisted and deformed.

Torneo ignored him, watching Eve with glee. "This card stirs the nanomachines inside her to a frenzy of activity, bringing her abilities right to the surface!"*

Eve gave one final, bloodcurdling screech before she fell silent, the empty milk bottle in her hand dropping to the ground. Every part of her looked different. Her hair was like knives, her pink eyes wide and demented. Involuntarily, Train shuddered, but kept his cool composure in place.

"Now, Eve! Kill the Black Cat!"

Before he could even blink, Eve was flying at him, hands transformed into knifes. He barely managed to dodge. Mercilessly she attacked again, not allowing him any time to recover. He blocked her with Hades, using the momentum of her attack to send himself backwards.

This wasn't the Eve he met on the rooftop that night. No, this was the ultimate weapon Torneo wanted, the deadly threat Chronos sent him to destroy. But this _wasn't _Eve.

Her next attack threw him through the window, shattering the glass. Eve followed him, her eyes still burning with bloodlust, Torneo laughing maniacally behind them as he watched from the broken window.

"Stop this!" Train yelled at Eve as she dove at him again. He hit a car and jumped off. A nanosecond later Eve's knifes hit the car where he had been, obliterating it.

"Give up, Black Cat! She can't hear you! As long as that card's on her chest, she won't stop until you're dead!"

An idea struck Train. He froze, waiting for Eve to come closer, then jumped at her right before her knife ran him through, nimbly dodging her attacks as he came closer and closer to her.

Just when he was about to grab the card from her chest, a sharp pain exploded in his shoulder. Train ignored it snatched the device off her.

~*TxE*~

Regaining control of herself was a lot like waking up. Eve's vision started to clear and she felt her nerves come back under her authority, her nanomachines returning her body to normal. But she barely noticed.

She focused, instead, on the hole in her savior's shoulder, made by a knife formed from her hair. Still in shock, she slowly slid her gaze to the man's face. Blood was leaking from the corner of his mouth, his body limp. Once Eve's hair transformed back to normal he slumped against her, using her as a pillar of support to lean on. Eve placed her hands on his chest, trying to hold him up.

The sound of an explosion echoed behind her, Torneo screaming in horror. But Eve couldn't process it, couldn't process anything as she stared into the strange man's eyes, which were soft and filled with understanding.

The barest ghost of a smile spread across his lips.

"Welcome back…Lil' Princess."

-

-

-

*Yes, I did shamelessly steal that whole speech from the anime dub! XD And yes, I realize this chapter is a lot like the anime episode, only with Train doing everything Sven did. Don't worry, what I've got planned for the rest of this story is much, much different.

**A/N: CLIFFHANGER! Um, kind of, I guess. I'm pretty sure this is the first chapter with no flashbacks to dialogue of earlier parts in the story. I love dialogue flashbacks, but I think I've used them too much. Eh, well, what can you do?**


	5. Abandon

**A/N: We~ll, here ya go! Another chapter! I guess I've kept you guys waiting long enough. I'm so sorry!**

**Actually, I have to be honest with you guys. This has been finished for a really, really long time, but I wanted to make it a bit longer. I couldn't really figure out where to take it and I kinda lost the passion for it and then I sorta just…forgot. XP**

**But I got a PM from KyoxSakiFan demanding an update and was like **_**"OMG! I'M A MAJOR SPAZ!!!"  
**_**Thus, this is dedicated to ****KyoxSakiFan**** for kicking me out of my spaziness and back into my word document.**

**I'll update faster next time, promise!**

**Disclaimer: No…I don't own it…*sulks in dark emo corner***

**~Abandon~**

It was a force of habit, an instinctive paranoia that haunted him after killing so many targets while they slept. As Train slowly drifted into consciousness, he kept his eyes closed and used his other four senses to assess his surroundings.

He could hear the crackle of a large fire, feel the heat radiating off it, smell the smoke, taste the burning destruction in the air. But he could tell it was fairly far away, so he shifted his attention to the rest of his surroundings.

The cold, hard surface against his back told him he was lying down on a stone bench, and his shoulder hurt like hell. More important, however, was that he could sense someone sitting next to him. He tuned into the telltale signs; the ruffle of clothing, the feather-light touches of someone wrapping cloth around his injured shoulder, and the smell of blood.

Oh, blood. That would be Eve, then.

Stirring, he opened his eyes. Eve didn't notice, she was too fixed on the task of bandaging his wound. She ripped another piece of fabric form the bottom of her dress, wrapping it tightly around his upper arm.

He turned his head to the side lazily, staring at the huge fire that was once Torneo's mansion. He could vaguely recall planting the bomb as he searched for Eve; it must have detonated successfully.

Eve's hands left his shoulder, his injury all patched up. Train looked back at her and this time she met his eyes. Silence passed between them for a few moments, neither quite sure what should be said.

"Torneo is dead," she finally stated, and he couldn't tell if her "father's" demise evoked depression or contentment within her. Her expression was so emotionless; he had to wonder if the man's death made her feel anything at all.

"How?" he asked. He was pretty sure he already knew, but couldn't think of anything else to say, and decided to keep her talking instead.

Eve shifted his eyes to the burning fire. "He tried to save the lab after the bomb exploded." Still no emotion.

Train nodded, sitting up carefully. Eve inched away from him as he did so, still wary of the stranger, though she knew she probably shouldn't be. His gun was in his holster and his stance was relaxed; he obviously wasn't preparing for battle.

She looked up at him, not knowing what she should say, but he was already walking away from her. "Where are you going?" she asked, her monotone giving way to slight – very slight – surprise, and a touch of curiosity.

Train didn't bother to glance back. "Home," he replied.

For a second the only sound he could he hear was his own footsteps on the cold pavement. Soon, however, a second set echoed his own. He stopped and turned around, seeing that Eve was following him.

"What do you want?" he growled. God, he was tired and his shoulder was practically _burning_. His didn't have the patience to deal with the small girl behind him right now.

She stared up at him with fuchsia eyes, unresponsive.

"Look, Torneo is dead, so you won't have to deal with him anymore. Chronos will think the explosion took you out, so you don't have to worry about them, either. I took care of everything for you, so just…_go away._"

Silence. Then, finally, she asked, "Go away…where?"

"I don't care!" he exclaimed, exasperated. "I'm sure _someone _will take you in!"

Eve's gaze didn't waver. Train moved ahead a few steps, but she quickly copied his actions. What did she _want_!?

After a moment of mulling it over, his confusion disappeared as he realized her intentions.

"You're _not _coming with me."

A pause. The atmosphere tensed. Train wondered if she'd cry like normal little girls, but of course a bioweapon raised to kill wouldn't be normal. Instead, she shifted her weight slightly and let the wind play with her hair as she stared at him intently, as if she had something extremely important to say but the words she needed were hiding from her.

"What is your name?" she questioned.

"Does it matter?"

"Yes."

Bewildered, he answered, "Train Heartnet."

She nodded, furrowing her brows as if he had just given her some complicated riddle to solve. He mentally shrugged it off, turning to leave.

"Bye, kid," he said nonchalantly, and then hesitated slightly, because that didn't quite sound right. "…Little Princess."

An eerie silence followed him as he disappeared into the moonless night, leaving Eve behind.

-

-

-

**A/N: I feel a little mean. I leave you guys hanging and then come back with the unfluffiest chapter ever! The next one should be a bit better though, so hang on until then, 'kay?**


	6. Invite

**A/N: Oh. My. God.  
I'm **_**so **_**sorry.  
I totally blow you guys off for **_**months **_**and then come back to just shy of 60 reviews. I don't deserve you guys.  
I really don't have an excuse. Blame WWE. I recently discovered it and now that stuffs my crack.  
Anime to wrestling…I must admit, that's certainly odd.  
Anyway, I appreciate your reviews **_**so so soooo **_**much. Reading them finally kicked me back into gear to write this chapter. Thank you!**

**~Persist~**

His house felt empty when he finally returned home.

Well, it had virtually no furniture, so it technically _was _empty. But this…this was different.

Popping open a bottle of milk, Train walked to his bedroom and flung himself down on his bed, not even bothering to turn on the lights. He took a long gulp and thought carefully about the little girl that had awoken his long-dead mercy. For awhile, anyway. Leaving her out in the cold probably wasn't very merciful by anyone's standards.

But his conscious was clean, nonetheless. She was alive. That was good enough, right?

Train yawned and turned over in his bed, glancing out his window…

…dropping his milk and biting back a girlish shriek as he caught sight of pink eyes watching him intently.

"Shit!" he cursed, running to the window and fumbling with the latch. Throwing it open, he glared at the young nanomachine as cold night air blew into his room. "What the _hell _are you doing here!?"

Blinking up at him with a blank expression, Eve seemed undisturbed by his yelling. "I don't know where else to go…"

"Anywhere but here! Go. _Away_." He swiftly moved to slam the window closed, but Eve stuck her hand on the sill, preventing the action.

"No."

Frustrated, Train ran a hand through his messy brunet hair. "_Why?_" he demanded.

"Because I have nowhere else to go," she repeated. She hesitated slightly, before softly saying, "…And you promised…"

_Promised? _Train shifted through his memories of earlier that night, trying to decode her vague answer. Eve pointed toward his floor, and Train followed her line of sight to the milk bottle he had dropped earlier. His carpet was soaked now, he realized with a mental sigh. But he still didn't understand –

"You promised to give me more milk if I left with you…," Eve reminded him.

Finally he remembered. Cursing his stupidity, he reluctantly opened the window wider, inviting her in. "One bottle and you leave. Alright?" he bargained. She nodded her head vigorously, climbing in and landing gracefully on his floor.

As Train ushered her out of the room and into the kitchen, he couldn't help but notice the lack of regret he felt in his actions. He was almost…almost _relieved_, that she was safe and unharmed, out of the cold and in his warm house. It worried him – his soft spot for this kid was getting out of hand. One bottle and he would make sure she was gone from his life – forever.

Before she could grow on him anymore than she already had.


End file.
